Christianity tamed the barbarism of Europeans; Islam re-directed the barbarism of Arabs

In response to the recent discussion about savagery, Russell W. sends this comment by blogger Francis Porretto:

Islam is not merely consistent with brutal tendencies and patterns that existed before Islam came along. The savage tribes of classical-era Germany and the Slavic lands were no less brutal than the denizens of the Arabian Peninsula in the time of Muhammad. The two were touched by two greatly differing belief systems—Christianity and Islam—and they turned in greatly different directions.

Contact with Christianity set up a conflict in the barbarian psyche. He knew from experience that ranging about, raping, killing, and looting with abandon, could be a real good time. But the mustard seed of the gentle Christian ethos flowering within him pulled his attention insistently toward an entirely different mode of life—a mode the Germanic and Slavic tribes eventually accepted, not at sword’s point, but from the pressure of their own consciences.

Islam spread among the barbarous Arab peoples of the seventh and eighth centuries because it’s a savage’s creed, designed for consumption by savages. Rather than conflict with their pre-existent tendencies, it stamped them with God’s seal of approval…

LA replies:

I would add qualifications to this, because Islam did in some ways refine the Arab culture. Instead of all the Arab tribes being in constant brutal war with each other, they became a unified people under a common ethos. At the same time, the warlike Arab tribalism was re-directed against the entire rest of the human race. This was Muhammad’s historic achievement. Arabs became more civilized to each other, and infinitely more dangerous to everyone else.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at June 25, 2006 03:53 PM | Send